81–90 of 613 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Between clicking on/off at least once a day, and changing batteries once a year, I'm picking changing the batteries. I'd also guess most people would just leave it on. They may have already tried that.
I wish the Dymo label printer (for those labels printed on tape) had an off switch. Every time I want to use it, the 6 batteries are flat.
Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
Both bathroom and kitchens scales are large enough they can run on AA / AAA batteries and casually go a decade (or more) without replacement. Tangentially: I used to have a 3 button timer, it was a little LCD countdown display and 3 buttons. One button set hours, one minutes, and one starts / stops the countdown timer. I found this timer when I was a kid, used, and the 1 AAA battery it had lasted into adulthood, lite…
Anyway, my insight is simply that some of them turn off the LCD after a while of non-use, and some of them keep it on indefinitely. Maybe that explains the difference between your two experiences.
Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
All of those are ones I would argue the best design is to eat a few batteries a year. Calipers need to hold memory specifically. But more generally most of those are using alkaleak batteries and you really wanna be changing those out on at least a yearly basis. So it actually makes since to let them have a small always on drain. (Some might be using a 2032 lithium but I can almost guarantee at least the calipers are…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
All of those are ones I would argue the best design is to eat a few batteries a year. Calipers need to hold memory specifically. But more generally most of those are using alkaleak batteries and you really wanna be changing those out on at least a yearly basis. So it actually makes since to let them have a small always on drain. (Some might be using a 2032 lithium but I can almost guarantee at least the calipers are…
Memory of what?
Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
Regarding Kitchen Scale: I recently bought this [1]. It works with friction - you turn the nob once or twice and you're good to go for a couple weigh ins. It feels rather cheap - so let's see if it really lasts. I love the idea though. I wish we had more energy harvesting gadgets like this. [1]; https://caso-design.de/en/p/caso-kitchen-energy-design-kitch...
(Background: I work in product design/new product development, and conceivably might have designed this thing! If any of those were still designed in the Western world. Which they aren't. I have designed some stuff like it, though!) Oh, great, this debate again! I shall use this post as ammunition next time I am arguing with our stupid design team about why we need an off switch on the stupid product we are designing…
> This is because they, one, don't listen to anyone ever; and two, never use the products they design. Oh, sure, there might be a user study or two. But they never actually have to live with or work with the damn things. I wonder the percentage of consumer (and business - have you ever used a POS in a pub?!) electronics this applies to? It's gotta be high 90s. I've lost track of the number of times I've lamented "did…
We have a combination oven and microwave (yes...) that seems to have been designed with the primary purpose of enraging the owner.
The microwave can only be set in 15 second increments. But you can fine-tune it, in five-second increments, by spinning a dial. Except that you can't do that while the oven is on.
The microwave makes a noise while it's operating. When it's finished, it will beep unobtrusively and then continue to make the operating noise. You can stop it from making the operating noise by opening the door.
The microwave can't be replaced, because it's part of the oven.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Between clicking on/off at least once a day, and changing batteries once a year, I'm picking changing the batteries. I'd also guess most people would just leave it on. They may have already tried that.
I wish the Dymo label printer (for those labels printed on tape) had an off switch. Every time I want to use it, the 6 batteries are flat.
Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
> electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Had the same problem; got a good Vernier caliper, never looked back. Some things just don't need batteries!
I don't do highly accurate work very often, obviously.
I don't like buying non-rechargeable batteries, though, so cell batteries are out.
Related to the topic, besides the energy argument and the ability to cycle system state, I'd argue the huge importance of being able to power things off for personal freedom, especially for things with connectivity. We still have the power to shut off devices and largely the ability to block their connectivity (e.g. routing TV ads through a network filter). With 5G and future connectivity, it feels as there will be p…
> With 5G and future connectivity, it feels as there will be push towards not being able to block the network access of individual devices, such that a TV or fridge will just speak to its server directly via some XG/IoT network which the user does control, without any user ability to block this communication How does one ensure that a product is built this way, to avoid it? I understood that a number of current 5G ca…
However for a device such as a TV, once it is sold with a network plan arranged by the manufacturer, there doesn't remain much of a point to allow the user to normally control whether this connection is active. For a while, an option would remain to disable or configure such an option, but over time it seems likely that the user would no longer be able to control this directly.
It gets even easier for devices such as a smart lightbulb or a smart toaster - devices for which there wouldn't be any direct user interface. Once these communicate via wireless wider-area networks, the trend seems to be clear.